A Department of Veterans Affairs program that pairs veterans with live-in caregivers has recently expanded to the Ann Arbor area. The VA is seeking members for the Medical Foster Home program, which started more than a decade ago in Little Rock, Ark.

The program offers veterans who need care a viable third option between living in a nursing home and staying home, alone and at risk, said April Bartlett, the local program coordinator at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

The Medical Foster Home program will start small in its first year. Bartlett said the hope is to open two to three homes in Michigan and two to three in Ohio. The program extends from Hillsdale to Sandusky.

Bartlett said she compiled a list of about 30 veterans who might be suited for the program after talking with social workers about which veterans could benefit from a change of scenery.

Caregivers must be medical professionals age 21 or older and have experience in patient care, whether formal or informal. They need to be willing to follow a veteran’s treatment plan, as laid out by his or her primary care team.

Michigan-based caregivers also need to be licensed as Adult Foster Care providers before applying. Caregivers need to own or rent the home they will live and work out of, and they can take no more than three veterans under their care.

Passion and compassion are unwritten, but no less important, requirements, Bartlett said. Anyone whose primary motive is financial won’t make the cut. Veterans pick the homes and pay them directly, from $1,500 to $3,000 a month, depending on a veteran's needs.

The VA works with the veterans to maximize their available VA benefits and conducts regular visits to the foster homes to make sure caregivers are doing their jobs and that vets’ needs are being met.

“We want long-term relationships with these caregivers,” Bartlett said, explaining that's why it’s important they be on board with the program’s mission to let veterans live their last days with dignity. The program’s tagline is “Where Heroes Meet Angels.”

The VA is also expanding the Medical Foster Home program to Detroit and Battle Creek. Some 69 centers now exist in 37 states, Bartlett said.

Veterans interested in joining the Medical Foster Care program and medical professionals interested in becoming caregivers should contact the VA’s Medical Foster Home office at 734-222-4269.

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.